1 Kings 6:34

And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:15-38 See what was typified by this temple. 1. Christ is the true Temple. In him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead; in him meet all God's spiritual Israel; through him we have access with confidence to God. 2. Every believer is a living temple, in whom the Spirit of God dwells, 1Co 3:16. This living temple is built upon Christ as its Foundation, and will be perfect in due time. 3. The gospel church is the mystical temple. It grows to a holy temple in the Lord, enriched and beautified with the gifts and graces of the Spirit. This temple is built firm, upon a Rock. 4. Heaven is the everlasting temple. There the church will be fixed. All that shall be stones in that building, must, in the present state of preparation, be fitted and made ready for it. Let sinners come to Jesus as the living Foundation, that they may be built on him, a part of this spiritual house, consecrated in body and soul to the glory of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Fir-tree - Rather, juniper (1 Kings 5:6 note). Each door was made in two parts, which folded back one on the other like shutters, by means of hinges. The weight of the doors no doubt made it inconvenient to open the whole door on every occasion.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

31-35. for the entering of the oracle—The door of the most holy place was made of solid olive tree and adorned with figures. The door of the holy place was made of cypress wood, the sides being of olive wood.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the two doors were of fir tree,.... the posts were of olive, but the doors of fir, and they were both folding doors, as appears by what follows:

the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding; which, taking up less room, made the passage wider, see Ezekiel 41:24.

Geneva Study Bible

And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

34. and the two doors were of fir tree] As in 32 the expression is not definite. It is therefore simpler to put a light punctuation at the end of 1 Kings 6:33 and render ‘and two doors of fir wood.’

the two leaves of the one door were folding] That is, could be doubled back upon one another. The doors were in 4 sections, of which two folded together against the wall on one side, and two on the other. Thus one quarter of the door could be opened, if no more space were needed, and the labour of pushing back the folded parts would be less than if they were all in one piece.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 34. - And the two doors were [As in ver. 32, the verb is to be supplied from the verse preceding. And he made two doors, etc.] of fir tree [בְּרוש see note on 1 Kings 5:8]: the two leaves [lit. ribs, same word as in vers. 5, 8, 10] of the one door were folding [Heb. rolling], and the two leaves [קְלָעִים is probably - a clerical error for צְלָעִים arising out of the קָלַע, in vers. 32, 35] of the other [Heb. second] door were folding. [It seems more natural to suppose that the leaves were formed by a vertical than by a horizontal division. Indeed, it is doubtful whether the word גָּלִיל would be applied the latter arrangement. Keil objects to the former on the ground that the leaves would thus be only one cubit broad each, and the opening of one leaf, consequently, would be insufficient to admit of any person's passing through. But to this it may be replied

(1) that the opening of two leaves would in any case form a sufficiently wide entrance, and

(2) that it is not said that all the leaves were of uniform width. Besides, the other arrangement is without precedent in the public buildings of the East.] 1 Kings 6:34

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"And thus he made upon the door of the Holy Place posts of olive wood from a fourth (of the wall)," i.e., a framework which occupied a fourth of the breadth of the wall, or was five cubits broad (see at 1 Kings 6:31), "and two doors of cypress wood, two leaves each door turning," i.e., each of the folding doors consisting of two leaves, each of which was made to turn by itself, so that it could be opened and shut alone (without the other; קלעים is probably only a copyist's error for צלעים). Cypress wood was chosen for the folding doors of the Holy Place, and not olive wood, as in the case of the Most Holy Place, probably because it is lighter in weight, and therefore less likely to sink. It is questionable here what idea we are to form of the division of each folding door into two leaves, each of which turned by itself: whether we are to think of each wing as divided lengthwise into two narrow leaves, or as divided half way up, so that the lower half could be opened without the upper. I agree with Merz in thinking the latter the more probable assumption; for the objection made by Thenius, on the ground that doors of this kind are only seen in the houses of the peasantry, is an idle assertion which cannot be proved. In a doorway of five cubits in breadth, after reckoning the doorposts the width of the two wings could not be more than two cubits each. And if such a door had been divided into two halves, each half would have been only one cubit wide, so that when open it would not have furnished the requisite room for one man conveniently to pass through. On the other hand, we may assume that a folding door of four cubits in breadth, if made in just proportions, would be eight cubits high. And a door of such a height might easily be divided into two halves, so that only the lower half (of two cubits in breadth and about four in height) was opened for the daily entrance of the priests into the Holy Place. These doors probably opened outwards, like those in front of the Most Holy Place.